Sometimes when adding multiple domains to your hosting account in cPanel, they may unintentionally point to the same website, displaying identical content across different domains. This can lead to confusion, SEO penalties due to duplicate content, and branding inconsistencies.

This article explains why this happens and how to properly configure each domain to serve the correct content, especially by adjusting the "Share document root" setting when adding new domains.

The Root Cause: Shared Document Root

In the modern cPanel interface, when adding a new domain under "Domains", there is an option:

     Share document root (/home/user/public_html) with example.com

If this option is checked, the new domain will point to the same directory as the existing domain. As a result, both domains display the same website content.

To avoid this:
When adding a domain, uncheck the "Share document root" option so the new domain gets its own folder.


How to Add a Domain With Separate Website Content

1. Log in to cPanel.
2. Go to the Domains section.
3. Click Create a New Domain.
4. Enter your new domain (e.g., example2.com).
5. Uncheck the option:
     "Share document root (/home/username/public_html) with (your primary domain)"
   
   
6. cPanel will automatically create a separate folder for the new domain, such as:  
      /home/username/example2.com/
   
   
7. Upload the website files for the new domain into this folder.

Now each domain will load independent content.

What If You Already Added the Domain With Shared Root?

If you accidentally checked "Share document root", follow these steps to fix it:

1. Remove the domain from cPanel > Domains.
2. Re-add it using the steps above, this time unchecking the shared root option.
3. Move or upload the correct website files to the new directory (e.g., /home/user/example2.com/).
4. Clear your browser cache and test the domain.

Bonus: Redirect If You Intentionally Want Same Content

If you actually _want_ one domain to show the same content as another (e.g., brand aliases), use a 301 redirect or set it as a domain alias, instead of sharing the root.

This approach is better for:

• Avoiding duplicate content
• SEO best practices
• Clear site structure

Use cPanel > Redirects or cPanel > Aliases to configure this properly.

Final Checks

• Test each domain in the browser.
• Ensure content is loading from the correct folder.